Organ Donation and Transplantation Contents Laws surrounding organ donationWhat can I donateDonating your kidney What you need to know before and after a kidney transplant The UK Living Kidney Sharing SchemeHuman Tissue Authority – The Regulator for human tissue and organs Statistics about organ donation Writing to your living donor Writing to a donor family or recipient NHS Blood and Transplant England Transplant Football Laws surrounding organ donation EnglandIn 2020, the law around organ donation in England changed to allow more people to save more lives. Below is a video explaining the law change: Watch this animation in British sign language or another languageFor more information on the law change in England please visit the NHS Blood and Transplant website here. Scotland The law around organ donation in Scotland changed to an opt-out system in 2021.Under the new system, all adults aged 16 and over who have not confirmed whether they want to be a donor, will be considered to be willing to donate their organs and tissue when they die, unless they choose to opt-out.You can still choose whether or not you want to be an organ and tissue donor by registering your decision and telling your family. Your faith, beliefs and culture will always be respected. What can I donate? Everyone has a choice as to whether or not they want to become an organ donor after they die, and if you choose to donate, you can choose to donate either some or all of your organs.By registering to become an organ donor you have the option to donate organs such as your heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and small bowel. All of these forms of donation can greatly enhance or even save the life of someone in needTo find out more, please click one of the links below. Heart Lungs Liver Kidneys Pancreas Small bowel Donating your kidney Kidneys are the most commonly donated organs by living people, and about a third of all kidney transplants carried out in the UK are from living donors. In the UK living kidney transplants have been performed since 1960 and currently around 1,100 such operations are performed each year, with a very high success rate. A kidney transplant can transform the life of someone with kidney disease. What is living kidney donation? Learn more here how you can help. Donating to someone you don't know... Learn more and see how it works here. Living with kidney disease Find out all you need to know here. Donating a kidney to a child? Take a closer look here at what you need to consider Donor health considerations Learn how health is assessed, and the practical and cultural considerations - things to think about What you need to know before and after a kidney transplant A kidney transplant is a treatment option for many patients who have long-term kidney failure. This is also known as chronic or end-stage kidney failure. During a kidney transplant, a kidney is removed from one person (the donor) and given to another person (the recipient). Kidneys can be donated from living donors or from those who have died (deceased donors). For more details click here. Organ donation in 30 seconds: How are families involved in the organ donation process: Primrose’s story: The UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme If you are not a suitable 'match' for someone you wish to donate to, it may be possible for you to join a sharing scheme and be matched with another donor recipient pair in the same situation and for the donor kidneys to be 'exchanged' or 'swapped'. About the UK Living Kidney Sharing Scheme (PDF, 263KB) Human Tissue Authority - The Regulator for human tissue and organs Guidance for living organ donors on their processes. The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) guidance has been written for people who are going to become living organ donors.It explains what kind of organisation they are, their role in the regulation of all living organ donations, and what you need to know before you donate an organ. This guidance also explains the Independent Assessment process that a person would undergo. HTA website Statistics about organ donation The current UK statistics for organ donations and transplants can be found here Writing to your living donor NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have provided advisory materials to help you write your letter, card or email to your living donor.Watch NHSBT's video to hear from people who have written and received letters themselves. What is the process? Write your letter, card or email. Avoid sharing any information that would make you personally identifiable Your correspondence will be read by the living donor coordinator, to check it doesn’t reveal identifiable information A photocopy is kept on file for future reference The living donor coordinator will match your correspondence with your donor Your living donor will be told that your correspondence is available to them If your donor wishes to receive your correspondence, it will be forwarded in a separate envelope to be opened at their discretion For more information please view the NHSBT's Writing to your Living Donor leaflet here Writing to a donor family or recipient NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have provided advisory materials to help you write your letter, card or email to a donor family or recipient. Watch NHSBT's videos to hear from people who have written and received letters themselves, or who are still deciding what to do. In this video, transplant recipient Jess and donor family mum Liz explore the power of words. Jess’s life was saved by a family like Liz’s agreeing to organ donation. What is the process? Write your letter, card or email. Avoid sharing any information that would make you personally identifiable Your correspondence will be read by your transplant coordinator or a member of the Donor Family Care Service team, to check it doesn’t reveal identifiable information A photocopy is kept on file for future reference The Donor Family Care Service match your correspondence with your donor Transplant recipients or a member of the donor’s family are told that correspondence is available to them, depending on who has made contact first If the person wishes to receive your correspondence, it is forwarded in a separate envelope to be opened at their discretion For more information please view the NHSBT's leaflet here NHS Blood and Transplant For more information on what NHS Blood and Transplant do and for further resources, please visit here The current UK statistics for organ donations and transplants can be found here Writing to your living donor The current UK statistics for organ donations and transplants can be found here Writing to your living donor What is the process? Write your letter, card or email. Avoid sharing any information that would make you personally identifiable Your correspondence will be read by the living donor coordinator, to check it doesn’t reveal identifiable information A photocopy is kept on file for future reference The living donor coordinator will match your correspondence with your donor Your living donor will be told that your correspondence is available to them If your donor wishes to receive your correspondence, it will be forwarded in a separate envelope to be opened at their discretion For more information please view the NHSBT's Writing to your Living Donor leaflet here NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have provided advisory materials to help you write your letter, card or email to your living donor.Watch NHSBT's video to hear from people who have written and received letters themselves. NHS Blood and Transplant For more information on what NHS Blood and Transplant do and for further resources, please visit here. England Transplant Football The England Transplant Football Association aims to provide all recipients who have received an organ transplant, Stem-Cell or Bone Marrow transplant. The opportunity to play transplant football locally, nationally and internationally. So if you have received a life-saving donation, your journey starts here to meet like-minded people and get mentally and physically fitter. We welcome everyone to try this fantastic sport – help us grow this Inclusive game around the UK. Please register your interest today, and let us find you a local club. England Transplant Website https://transplantfootball.com/ Manage Cookie Preferences
England Transplant Football The England Transplant Football Association aims to provide all recipients who have received an organ transplant, Stem-Cell or Bone Marrow transplant. The opportunity to play transplant football locally, nationally and internationally. So if you have received a life-saving donation, your journey starts here to meet like-minded people and get mentally and physically fitter. We welcome everyone to try this fantastic sport – help us grow this Inclusive game around the UK. Please register your interest today, and let us find you a local club. England Transplant Website https://transplantfootball.com/